Thieves in the Night
by lalalei
Summary: Anyone can play a Shadow Game, but few can initiate them. When Bandit Keith tries to rob Ryou Bakura of his Millennium Ring, Yami Bakura sees unexpected potential in the thief-and the Shadow Realm takes interest. Partially written to explain Keith's shadow powers in Nightmare Troubadour, but can fit just about anywhere.


"Bandit" Keith Howard took an instant, intense disliking to the boy as soon as he saw him. The fluffy white hair and the gold ring around his neck reminded him of Pegasus, and the British accent just sounded like he was trying way too hard to be something he wasn't.

And the boy had walked straight into his path, knocking them both over, which _really_ annoyed him. Keith stood up with a scowl as the white-haired kid got to his feet and began to apologize.

"I-I'm so sorry! I _swear_ I didn't see you, and I promise not to—Wait… I know you. You're Bandit Keith!"

The boy was beginning to panic. Keith's eyes glimmered dangerously behind his sunglasses. On second thought, that ring the kid had looked pretty valuable. Maybe he could sell it.

"Very good, kid. And _you're_ some nobody!"

"Actually, my name's Ryou Bakura—"

"Shut it."

Slowly, Bandit Keith approached Ryou, who now looked scared out of his wits. He reached into a pocket and drew a Duel Monsters card, resting it against the kid's throat like a knife. With his other hand, he brandished a _real_ knife. He grinned at the fear in Ryou's eyes.

"Alright, punk, I'm only gonna say this once. Hand over that ring, and you won't get hurt."

The boy shrunk back instinctively, but his eyes widened at Bandit Keith's words. "Y-you want my ring?"

"I ain't repeatin' myself. Don't make me send you crying home to mommy," he snarled, raising the knife to emphasize his point. He reached for the ring.

In an instant, there was a flash of harsh, golden light. Blinded, Bandit Keith stumbled back, cursing. When his vision cleared, he saw that Ryou Bakura was leering at him, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. Something about his demeanor made Keith wary—not that he'd admit it.

"Funny," the boy sneered, his voice now rougher and deeper than before. "Last I checked my host doesn't _have_ a mother."

Keith blinked. "Your host? What're you talking about? …Never mind, fork over that ring!"

His opponent merely laughed. "Oh, I think _not_ , Bandit Keith. That ring rightfully belongs to me. But since _saying_ so wouldn't deter you, I'll let you see for yourself."

He let him take hold of the ring.

As soon as Keith grabbed it the metal ignited, burning his hand—not with fire, but with shadows and smoke. He instantly dropped the knife. But even as Keith did so, he noticed that the boy didn't seem hurt at all. Whatever the ring had done affected _only_ him.

"Satisfied," Bakura sneered.

Bandit Keith glared daggers at him, but his tone was quiet, even curious. "You… what _was_ that? Who _are_ you?"

The boy gave an easy shrug. "If you _must_ call me something, Bakura will do. As for what _that_ was, Keith, you may call it the energy of the Shadow Realm. Had you actually _worn_ the ring, you'd have been burned to the bone," he added with a dark chuckle.

Keith leaned down to pick up the knife, leveling it at Bakura. "So what would happen if I dueled you for it? Then I'd have earned the right to wear it!"

Bakura grinned and drew a card from his pocket—Doma, the Angel of Silence. He raised the card so Keith could see it, still smirking. "Care to risk your _soul_ and find out?"

After a long pause, Bandit Keith shook his head. "All right. You can _keep_ your magic ring… but I ain't leavin' until you show _me_ how to use that Shadow Realm magic."

The American let out a harsh, unhinged chuckle.

"With that kind of power, I can get my _revenge_ —on Pegasus, Yugi, all of them—and especially that no-good punk Joey Wheeler. I'll burn them to the bone _myself_."

Shadows bled from Keith's own shadow, seeping around them both. There was an odd light to Bakura's eyes—not quite fear, but it was far from his prior amusement. "Incredible! You're nothing but a common thief, yet…"

"Yet _what_ ," Keith spat, raising the knife as if readying himself for an attack.

"…The Shadow Realm is _probing_ you, mortal," he finished. "Its energies surround us as we speak."

Keith looked around, but saw nothing but the ordinary shadows of the alleyway. Before he could respond, Bakura cut him off.

"Something that can be seen, but _cannot_ be seen—that is the way of the shadows. Look _deeper_ , Keith Howard."

Bandit Keith stared at the area around them until his eyes hurt, and in the instant before he closed them shut, he felt it—hungry, writhing shadows with teeth and eyes and countless whispers of power.

Something that could be seen, but couldn't be seen, he thought. The desire for revenge. That was what the shadows wanted. Well, he had plenty of grievances to go around.

Keith Howard let his hatred build within him—the overwhelming, insatiable desire to crush his enemies into dust with his bare hands, to slice their throats with cards as blades, to make them scream until their voices gave out, to force the entire world to beg his forgiveness, that "Bandit" Keith Howard was the greatest duelist who ever existed or _would_ exist—and released it, not to let it go, but to claim it.

He raised the card he had taunted Ryou with and felt the energy around him shift, seeping into himself and his entire deck. Keith turned his eyes down to glance at the card and saw that it was Barrel Dragon.

Bakura gave him a slow clap. "Perhaps you _aren't_ as stupid as you look, or perhaps the Shadow Realm has merely relaxed its standards. Either way, you now wield the powers of the Shadow Games, Bandit Keith…"

He gave the man a sly grin. "But know this. You may _know_ the darkness…but I _am_ the darkness."

Keith watched him leave, sunglasses tinting the world darker than it already was. He didn't know what Bakura had meant, and he didn't care.

All that mattered to Bandit Keith now was enacting his revenge.


End file.
